Heidi Gardner has left Saturday Night Live ( SNL ) after eight seasons, according to multiple media reports, which would make her the fourth major cast member to depart in a string of exits announced in late August ahead of the show's 51st season.

Newsweek reached out to Gardner's representative for comment on Friday via email outside regular working hours.

Why It Matters

The departures—which also include Devon Walker, Emil Wakim and Michael Longfellow—come after SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels signaled plans to overhaul the cast. The show's first non-binary staff writer, Celeste Yim, also announced on Monday they were leaving.

The exits represent one of the largest pre-season cast turnarounds for the long-running NBC sketch series and raise questions about c

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